


Countdown

by ghostlyhamburger



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-18 19:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16523417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostlyhamburger/pseuds/ghostlyhamburger
Summary: What led Juleka to a realization.





	Countdown

_ Five _ .

 

"Prince Ali invited me to a ball!" Rose squealed when she saw Juleka in the morning. "He's back in Paris for another fundraiser, and he's invited me as his guest!"

 

"That's great," Juleka replied with a small smile.

 

"I'm so excited!" Rose continued. "He had to pull a few strings, but he said I'm his best friend in Paris that's his age, and he didn't want to be alone. The ball is next week, and Marinette said she'd help me with a dress!"

 

Juleka just nodded. "She's really good at that. You're going to look pretty great."

 

"I'll be like a princess!"

 

Something inside Juleka felt like needles poking at her. She ignored the feeling, kept her smile on her face, and said, "You deserve it. You deserve Prince Ali. He chose a great date."

 

Rose's ever-happy expression faltered slightly, and the needles inside Juleka poked harder. "I'm his  _ guest _ . Not his date. We're friends, but Juleka, he's a  _ prince _ . I could never be with him like that."

 

_ Four. _

 

When the akuma was defeated, Juleka knew she'd done something wrong. She couldn't remember what she had said, but she couldn't find Rose anywhere and felt sick to her stomach. Why did akuma control always come with a side effect of nausea?

 

She found Rose in the park, sitting by a fountain and watching the birds. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were wet, but she smiled at Juleka.

 

They never discussed what Juleka had said under Dark Cupid's control. Instead, they went back to Rose's house and watched silly romantic comedies together, laughing and pretending nothing bad had happened.

 

_ Three. _

 

When Juleka was akumatized, she remembered everything perfectly. She remembered the feeling of power, the joy of turning the students into her mirror image. She wouldn't be overshadowed any longer!

 

Honestly, she didn't care that much about getting the Miraculouses. She just wanted to be seen, and she  _ was _ .

 

Afterwards, when all the pictures had been taken and the class helped her feel important again, Juleka found herself alone with a gushing Rose. 

 

"You were so  _ beautiful _ !" Rose cried. "When I got akumatized, I was  _ green _ , but you were  _ pink  _ and so pretty!"

 

"Well, pink goes good with green," Juleka replied, referencing one of their favorite shows. 

 

"So, we'd go well together," Rose said with a note of finality in her voice. 

 

Juleka wasn't sure why that one sentence made her feel more powerful than being akumatized.

 

_ Two. _

 

Juleka knew that akumatizations could happen to anyone. She knew what happened when they did, and she wasn't scared of any of them. Mylene turned into a literal monster, and Juleka's lack of fear even helped cure her.

 

But all the knowledge she had flew out the window when her mother was akumatized. She knew her mom had always been a little flighty, but seeing her as an actual monstrous pirate, directing their  _ home  _ to attack, was enough to make the unflappable teenage girl panic a little bit.

 

Then, suddenly, she was chained up with Rose, and she was able to calm down a bit. She saw her brother and Marinette escape, and knew that soon, they'd all be freed.

 

She felt Rose shaking a little beside her, and looked over to see tears forming in her best friend's eyes. "Don't worry," she murmured. "Ladybug and Chat Noir will fix this."

 

Rose looked up at her and smiled, that bright sunny smile that made everything better. "I know," she said. "I'm worried about you. But if you're okay, I'm okay."

 

Juleka felt her body grow warmer as she understood just how much Rose cared. She noted Rose's relieved smile, the way her lips formed a perfect happy arc and how her eyes shone on Juleka with love and-- _ oh _ .

 

Panic wasn't the only new feeling Juleka realized that day.

 

_ One _ .

 

When Chat Noir and Ladybug ushered them onto the bus, all Juleka cared about was making sure Rose was okay. What was she thinking, risking her own safety just for Chloe?

 

Though at the same time, Juleka was seriously impressed with how strong Rose was. Where had she been hiding  _ that _ ?

 

She held Rose close, hugging her friend tight so she couldn't leave her side again. This was already one of the worst akumas--how much of a mess would she be if she lost her best friend on top of everything else?

 

Maybe it was the excitement of the day, or the talk of kissing in the air, but as Juleka finally allowed herself to feel relieved, she pulled Rose close to her and pressed her lips to hers.

 

Juleka had never thought she'd be a fan of kissing. She never found herself interested in the idea of kissing a boy, never thought that would be her--but kissing  _ Rose  _ felt so different. She actually felt those fireworks everyone talked about.

 

When she pulled away, the first thing she noticed was Rose smiling.

 

The second thing she noticed was her pink eyes.

 

_ Zero _ .

 

That first kiss turned out not to be a fluke, luckily. When Rose was released from Zombizou's control, the kiss was the only thing she remembered--and she was happy to do it again without any mind control.

 

The two friends became closer, spending more time together, exchanging many more kisses. They never really put a name to their relationship, but it was quickly understood among their classmates that they were an inseparable pair.

 

Juleka was happy. She had her best friend, her girlfriend, her  _ Rose _ , and no akuma would tear them apart. It took her far too long to realize what a treasure Rose was, and she was determined never to lose her.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying a writing something every day challenge. This was the first one.


End file.
